Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-03-02
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Psessas Time.
From tho ives, Chester village RECORD.
The roads In Chester county could not be
much worse or farther from deserving the
name OF Highways than during this February.
Travel st fsster gait than walk hes beSn
scsrcely possible while the strain upon horses
and upon vehicles hes bsen trsmendouA
Transit with heavy losds has beou snureiy
barred, % few farmers have strong enough
teams to have hauled ton very 5ar. Is' no
Que suppose that this refers n roads In new
country for Il refers toone of the oldest settled
communities OF Pennsylva which has spent
upon its roads for nearly hundred year.
from one huudred 70 two hundred thousand
coming summer tho same amount for what II
spent the same sum lase year. Never have the
people mplainsd % much ~ this year and
one supervisor told us that In his township
unless something permanent was done 10 the
have 10 10 sbandoned during tho winter
time Tho annual losses 20 people living In
the county due Ia had roads, Il they could be
figured up, would undoubtedly foot up to
surPristngly large suma, yet there 70 no i'm.
from year 70 year 20 far ~ permanoncy is
conoerned. Township have introduced read
machines which do tho work OF mending
roeds In summer much better and more
the roads 20 msnded are just ~ deep with
mud and impossible In winter. Engineer
Ing skill has made the Peunsy lvania railroad
the most perfect IN the world, while the CON-
70 the roads made BY the Romans two thou
sand yean ago whom wealthy people didn't
have the comforts now enjoyed by the poor
est people In Chester county.
Something should be done In Sho matter.
Everybody admits It now, but when spring
opens and supervisors should attempt some
permanent improvements, not many but .
beginning, there would bs grand cry against
the Increased tax and tho life OF those officials
would be burden whel they went 70 collect
the tax. There 10 ono township in tho county
where the supervisors reduced the road tax
last year, for which they received the thanks
Of the community y, and several residents OF that
township tell US that they have walked 70 the
railroad station several times during this
winter because tho roada were virtually 10
impAsoable that they wouidn't visk riding.
II roads are only needed In summer time sll
veil and good, but suppose ws. In Europe
cents . bushel tho rad roads In Chester
county would have barred the farmers from
hauling their grain to the railroads except ut
. cost that would have eaten up all the profit,
and-weli let everyone figure for himsel
what the loss would be from the bal roadA
Good roads are poasible ~ aynone who has
ever Travelled In England can earthly and ono
nsedu't go that iar to verify It Down In
Lower Merion, Montgomery county, Mr.. A.
J. Caa.att, formerly vice president OF the
Pennsylvania railroad, offered his engineer.
Ing skiii To his neighbors and they made him
Q supervisor. the result being that the rosds
ere 20 vastly improved that winter travel has
few tsrrors over that OF summer. or course
the question Of expense comes up. but II =
township sots spsrt only . small portion OF
IL annual tax levy for permanent improve.
monls ON the main roads it will not require
many years n make those roads so.good that
the annual AZ penses OF repairing them will
b les than nov, while tho saving In sctual
xpense and the addsd comfort and conven.
ieuco OF lhose who have to travel or haul will
b largely added 10. In connection with this
there ought 10 be some way OF rsachinR the
railroad corporations and compelling them to
bear thelr share Of the ex psnss OF the roads
leading 10 them.